Tyvan rolled down his automatic window and called out to the obstructions.

“Good evening, gentlemen. Might I respectfully ask you to step aside?”

The grey-suited fellow frowned before gesturing to one of his cronies.

They approached the car, “May I see your ID, sir?”

His voice was uncertain. His posture was weak.

Tyvan tilted his head forward, “On whose authority?”

The challenger balked-- his words, lost. The reaction was such that Tyvan wondered if the glow from his eyes seeped through his glasses.

His superior walked over, shoving the lesser man aside.

“It seems you don’t know who I am, Westerner.”

His steps were efficient-- that of a warrior. He carried himself with unparalleled confidence, clearly superior in status and ability in juxtaposition to the company he kept.

However, Tyvan wasn’t in the mood to be perfectly polite.

He raised his chin, “Elucidate me.”

“My name is Kuen Luo,” the man said, “and I represent the Arrow Group. Show me your ID, sir.”

“Kuen of the Luo family,” came the voice of a young woman.

...Tyvan slowly craned his head to face the speaker-- his passenger.

What was she doing?

“And who might you be, young Miss?” asked Luo.

“My name is Xue,” she said, “of the Song family. How far are you willing to go to embarrass my driver?”

Luo’s expression soured. The scent he gave off... was highly amusing. After a few short seconds, he regained his bearing, as was proper.

“Hmph, the younger generation certainly knows how to flaunt the achievements of their ancestors.”

“Are you, perhaps, cursing your ancestors, Mister Luo?” Shay returned with a glare.

Oh. How interesting-- it was a challenge full of daring and belligerence!

Luo rolled his eyes. He took a step back and gestured to his men. They stepped aside, their movements laborious and lackadaisical.

Tyvan vaguely understood the situation. There was a power imbalance between the Song and Luo families, and the latter was inferior.

That was a shame, though. Luo seemed quite capable as a martial warrior. And judging by the generally unprofessional nature of his subordinates, he was not as valued as well as he deserved.

“Thank you for your patronage, Miss Song,” Luo said, rendering a Chinese salute.

“Drive,” Yan Xue said.

And so Tyvan drove.

That was a lovely experience. If all of the Arrow Group’s leadership were so reasonable and respectable, he and his lovely companion could have been feasting on barbecue beef and shrimp dumplings.

But not even a minute after leaving the hotel grounds, Yan Xue began to... cry.

“Tyvan!!”

“Yes?”

“I was so scared!!!!”

“Uh. And why is that?”

“I lied just now!!”

Tyvan nodded slowly, “Yes. I am aware.”

“I don’t have any magic or anything!!!”

“I... of that, I am also aware.”

But still, she continued to cry.

Tyvan was at a loss.

He tried to think back on how to stop women’s tears.

He didn’t have any spells for that.

--which was a disgusting oversight. That seemed like a basic spell that any wizard, of any age, gender, or chosen specialisation, would find routinely useful.

His past life’s memories didn’t include his relationships with women, (though he hoped he had at least one.) And in his current life, what he had experienced wasn’t particularly useful.

Briar Rose? No, he allowed her to cry as she pleased.

Heidi? He didn’t even bother, with her. She cried over nonsense like it raining too hard or standing in the vicinity of an unfamiliar human longer than she could hold her breath.

Stolen novel; please report.

Bah.

Tyvan decided to just do as he did when he was distressed... and hope the young lady would be mollified.

----------------------------------------

Xue Yan wiped her tears with Tyvan’s handkerchief.

It was gross... covered in tears, makeup, and... she blew her nose on it, earlier too.

“You can keep it,” Tyvan said impassively.

No-- she wasn’t going to keep it. She was going to wash it.

Then… maybe, afterward, she was going to keep it.

Tyvan drove into a familiar, brightly lit parking lot.

Shay marveled at the faded sign-- something she hadn’t seen in years, but always remembered fondly.

Dragon Burger. A fast food restaurant?

It was a little suspicious, since she knew Tyvan had a distaste for that particular mythical creature. Sphinxes seemed fine. Since he liked snakes, maybe medusa’s were cool? (Or were those called gorgons?)

Dragons, though...

Maybe dragons were a bit overdone, in general.

When Shay was younger, she always pictured the Dragon Burger mascot whenever she thought about dragons.

Sometimes, she’d imagine herself as the princess held captive. Sometimes she was the knight that needed to save the prince. Sometimes, she and the dragon would team up and fight against the patriarchy, saving the world from the oppression of the evil king and his army of evil, super-powered princes.

Tyvan parked the car. He turned to her and took her hand in his.

He said something.

Shay heard the words. They were in English. But it still took her several seconds to understand what he was saying because… reasons.

“Would you like some ice cream?” he asked, “Girls like ice cream, don’t they?”

He was worried. He was so worried he purposely made a purposeful choice to hold her hand– which was something she did not at all expect him to do even though they held hands earlier but that was for magical reasons that were necessary at the time.

He was worried. And… that was really sweet.

“Girls actually like rings,” Shay said.

She sniffed up her tears and smiled brightly.

She didn’t need to cry anymore.

As long as she was by Tyvan’s side, there was no safer place in Archangel.

“Rings,” Tyvan nodded. “Understood.”

He got out of the parked car and headed toward the restaurant doors.

Uh.

What?

Shay checked her face in the car visor’s mirror. Her eyes were a little puffy, but she was going to a late-night burger joint filled with tired, overnight truckers and people with messy outfits coming from booze-filled parties. No one there cared what anyone looked like or whatever junk food anyone else was ordering.

She got out and followed Tyvan, entering the building.

Muted brown walls and tile flooring. Two leafy house plants-- fake, though. There was a medieval-ish mural on the main wall of the dining room that might have passed for actual art. The cartoon-ish dragon painted at the center, though, kept it kid-friendly.

Newer places had brighter colors and ball pits and... clown statues? But the interior of Dragon Burger had a timeless, classic feel. That had its own charm.

Shay stood by Tyvan as he ordered their meals at the counter.

He artfully used the term ‘the special’ instead of specifically saying ‘Double Dragon Burger.’

...And he ordered a pair of pon-de-ring donuts for dessert.

Ha. Ha~

It must have been a new menu item.

They sat down at a far booth. The seats were an uncomfortable plastic, but Shay was so mentally drained she almost fell asleep.

Oh-- but she couldn’t fall asleep in front of Tyvan. That would be embarrassing.

“Dragons don’t exist,” she said, smiling softly.

Tyvan chuckled, returning his own slight smile. “Clever girl. You did well tonight.”

Shay shrugged her shoulders, “I honestly don’t even remember what I did. Everything just... happened so fast.”

“It was a bit hectic,” Tyvan said, gesturing to her, “but I assure you: you were never in danger.”

Shay doubted that. She didn’t know who Tyvan was, exactly... but she did know about the group whose people he beat up. The Arrow Group was an organization that stood on par with her grandpa’s.

There would be trouble in the future, she was sure of it.

But sitting at a not-quite-adult-sized table and under the drone of the cheap light bulb that hung between them… the present didn’t seem so bad.

“Thanks for taking me here,” she said quietly. “My dad used to take me all the time.”

“Is that so?” Tyvan said, raising his eyes in thought, “Your father has good taste. I am also a frequent customer.”

He glanced away before adding, “Keep this from the others.”

Oooh. A seCret~

Shay tried and failed to hide a smile, “How can you stand it?”

“I call them ‘lizard burgers,’” he said-- and with so much seriousness that Shay started to giggle.

She was glad he didn’t say that to the girl who took their order... or loud enough for the other diners to hear. According to the TV commercials, their burgers were 100% beef. One of their slogans was: ‘No dragons were harmed in the making of these burgers.’

Tyvan watched her patiently, wearing his slight, confident smile.

Shay felt... so incredibly loved.

That beautiful, hazel-eyed gaze... His mysterious magic... His genuine confidence and concern.

She was in love with him.

It might have started as a schoolgirl crush.

It might still have been a schoolgirl crush.

But the feelings that made her chest feel tight was her... completely... absolutely... undeniably in love with everything about him.

They got their food.

Shay watched in half-amusement, half-horror as Tyvan consumed three double-dragon burgers.

Did he eat that much all the time? How was he not fat?

And weren’t those things supposed to be spicy?

She found herself staring at Tyvan as he ate. Maybe it was because his guard was down... (or maybe because SHE was with him!) but... he smiled.

He looked actually, legitimately, 100% happy.

It was the first time she was completely certain Tyvan was smiling. She burned that image in her memory to cherish for the rest of her life.